Aphex Twin

Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit an album that changed ambient music forever.
The facts were thin on the ground. Richard D. James was from Cornwall, yes—a geographical outsider in the context of early-1990s UK rave, a kind of coastal cowpoke. He’d been at college for an engineering degree, one he never finished, and was known to pick at the innards of his analog synths. He collected aliases like another young man might sneakers, trotting each one out when the occasion called for it, never letting any of them get too worn: Polygon Window, Caustic Window, Power-Pill, the Dice Man, GAK, Blue Calx, Q-Chastic, AFX, plus his clear favorite, Aphex Twin.

Richard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music critics, and was named 40th in Pitchfork Media's "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s" list. It was also placed #55 on NME's Top 100 Albums of All Time in 2003.

Aphex Twin marks his first new record in 11 months with the slow-motion bounce cooked up on the "Cheetah" EP for Warp Records.

Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760 by Aphex Twin will be released on the 28th July via Warp Records. This is the first new music from Aphex Twin in five years. Aphex Twin headlines nine festivals this summer.

Aphex Twin Confirms New Compilation ‘Music From The Merch Desk’. Aphex Twin will release a new compilation tomorrow (December 17th). The seminal electronic producer recently re-issued his deeply influential album ‘Selected Ambient Works II’, with label Warp Records hosting a listening event at the Tate Modern in London. The 21st century has seen Aphex Twin favour unconventional release methods, including a lengthy spell when the producer would place new material on SoundCloud without warning. The past decade has found a series of mysterious vinyl drops landing on his merch desk at live shows and DJ commitments, presenting an ultra-exclusive alternative catalogue. Now it seems that these releases will be collated for a full digital release. ‘Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023)‘ covers a lengthy period of creativity, and for many fans this will be the first opportunity to hear the music in pristine condition – or at all.

Aphex Twin Confirms New Compilation ‘Music From The Merch Desk’. Aphex Twin will release a new compilation tomorrow (December 17th). The seminal electronic producer recently re-issued his deeply influential album ‘Selected Ambient Works II’, with label Warp Records hosting a listening event at the Tate Modern in London. The 21st century has seen Aphex Twin favour unconventional release methods, including a lengthy spell when the producer would place new material on SoundCloud without warning. The past decade has found a series of mysterious vinyl drops landing on his merch desk at live shows and DJ commitments, presenting an ultra-exclusive alternative catalogue. Now it seems that these releases will be collated for a full digital release. ‘Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023)‘ covers a lengthy period of creativity, and for many fans this will be the first opportunity to hear the music in pristine condition – or at all.

Aphex Twin Confirms New Compilation ‘Music From The Merch Desk’. Aphex Twin will release a new compilation tomorrow (December 17th). The seminal electronic producer recently re-issued his deeply influential album ‘Selected Ambient Works II’, with label Warp Records hosting a listening event at the Tate Modern in London. The 21st century has seen Aphex Twin favour unconventional release methods, including a lengthy spell when the producer would place new material on SoundCloud without warning. The past decade has found a series of mysterious vinyl drops landing on his merch desk at live shows and DJ commitments, presenting an ultra-exclusive alternative catalogue. Now it seems that these releases will be collated for a full digital release. ‘Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023)‘ covers a lengthy period of creativity, and for many fans this will be the first opportunity to hear the music in pristine condition – or at all.